Hopefully this will be more Spider-Man 2/The Dark Knight than Iron Man 2 and I think it will.

There's also the debate over whether Marvel will be as successful in the lead up to Avengers 2 as it was with the lead up to Avengers. The sequels to Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America, sound promising, but some are not quite convinced Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant Man are good moves. Still, I don't think they'll necessarily cause problems for Avengers 2.

I wonder if they're going to keep with the revolving door membership that the comics have always had. Not that I want them to go, but I could easily see Hawkeye and Black Widow leaving to make way for Ant-Man and Wasp. The "main three" of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor are certainly returning, and even though he's never been a long term member in the comics, I couldn't see them booting the Hulk.

Maybe Black Widow and Hawkeye could headline the oft rumored S.H.I.E.L.D. movie instead of another Avengers?

It looks like Whedon will be shackled to Marvel properties for a while yet. Too bad, really. I had hoped he would spin off his success with The Avengers into more inventive and personal projects like Cabin in the Woods*. I suppose he might still have time for such things, especially if he's not director (I've never been crazy about his talents in that area, anyway), but this looks like it will keep him rather busy...

Great news. I just hope the rumor of the Guardians of the Galaxy appearing in Avengers 2 doesn't happen. Having their own movie is fine, but I'd prefer no talking animals or trees fighting next to Thor, Iron Man and Cap.

Awesome. While I like the revolving door idea, I'd prefer if they got the whole cast together for at least one more film--though I understand RDJ might be a tough sell.

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I've heard no evidence that RDJ wants out. Iron Man made him a star again. He knows it, and as far as I've heard wants to keep on playing the character. Frankly, if and when Downey steps out, Iron Man should leave the team in the movies. He has completely embodied his role like few other actors have. Ruffalo taking over for Norton, yeah a bit jarring but not earth-shattering. If Evans or Hemsworth were recast, I wouldn't be happy, but I'd deal. Downey on the other hand is Tony Stark, now. Barring a reboot many years down the line, nobody else should play him.

Since they're introducing comic continuity into the movies, I can understand why they would go that route. Can Iron Man really sustain itself in the movies like Bond can, though? No superhero has. Heck, no other character in the history of film has.

Then again, Avengers was a game changer. It's a major turning point in the genre. No longer are just the A-listers or high B-listers allowed. Ant-Man and freaking Guardians of the Galaxy are happening. People will go see them, and then they'll probably see Ant-Man and Wasp (I'm assuming she'll be in the Ant-Man movie) in Avengers 2. We'll be seeing Black Panther and Doctor Strange and Namor soon enough probably. Not to mention all of the sequels that will build out of those.

The first Iron Man was often called "realistic." Then we had Iron Man fight aliens alongside a thunder god, and a giant green rage monster. The sky is the limit now for what is acceptable in a superhero film. We need no longer have any hero constrained by realism are free to get into some of the really crazy stuff. We've got Thanos coming. Freaking Thanos! An intergalactic warlord who kills people to impress Death. Maybe, just maybe the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have the staying power of the Bond franchise. People still love superheroes, so they're not going anywhere any time soon.

And with the recent reports that Fox may want to renew their Daredevil license and "give back" Galactus and the Silver Surfer to Marvel can you imagine what Whedon could come up with after Thanos gets his ass handed to him by the Avengers?

I'm in. The words "Joss Whedon" are all I need. I'm thrilled that he's coming back to do the sequel and I'm really curious to see what he does for the TV spin-off. Part of me would like to see him go off and do all of the other things I know he wants to do ("Dr. Horrible" sequel, etc.) but I am not disappointed that he's sticking with Marvel. And if he surrounds himself with enough of his old Mutant Enemy friends to help him develop and run the TV series (Tim Minear, Drew Goddard, Jane Espenson, David Fury, etc.) perhaps that'll free him up to work on his other smaller projects.